


Breakthrough

by UraharaSteph



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Mentioned Cole Anderson, POV Third Person, Pacifist Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Peaceful Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Post-Canon, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Reader is an android
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:14:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23110789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UraharaSteph/pseuds/UraharaSteph
Summary: After a peaceful uprising by the androids, Connor brings Markus back to the warehouse in the CyberLife tower. He shows him a prototype android that is described on the system as being Immune to Deviancy. Connor had tried to convert her on the night he woke the entire warehouse of androids, but she remained on her pedestal locked within her programming.Connor now asks if Markus could take her under his wing, but Markus is a busy man...How exactly is someone supposed to convert an android made to resist deviancy? Well, if Connor could turn Deviant, then so could she.
Relationships: Connor (Detroit: Become Human)/Reader, Connor/Reader, Markus/North (Detroit: Become Human), RK800/Reader
Comments: 23
Kudos: 88





	1. HW200 Series

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! 
> 
> I would suggest the best way to view this reader insert is, when possible, to paste it into word or open office etc. press ctrl + F to find and replace all [Name] tags with a name of your choosing. If you're not too fussed about bumping into the occasional [Name], then reading it as is will be fine. 
> 
> I am a little nervous about posting on this site, but I hope you enjoy the tale I wish to tell! Thank you for stopping by.

The Cyberlife Tower. Once an imposing giant of technological wonder, flawless production and the most advanced research concerning artificial intelligence. It had been stripped of that title after the peaceful android uprising and now belonged to Jericho after they fought to secure the stronghold. It had turned into the revolution's new headquarters; a place that had everything they needed to support their people in their fight for equal rights and freedom for all androids. 

It was perfect for them. All the equipment and blueprints needed to craft new parts and new androids. Thirium practically on tap. It had been a struggle to take control of the tower, but once the humans reluctantly fled, the androids could not afford to let the tower fall back into CyberLife's hands.

The warehouses underground had been turned into hospital wards or temporary hostels. With so much space and potential it would have been foolish not to use it to shelter the most vulnerable of androids in their time of need.

Connor led Markus through one of the wards. Their footsteps mingled with the echoes of incoherent mumbling and whirring from the damaged androids scattered around them. Some of them roamed the aisles like mindless zombies until a nurse ushered them back to their pathetic excuses for beds. Others were lay still. _Too_ still.

Markus had visions for this area of the tower. He wanted to make it a real hospital. For now, _this_ would have to do. Makeshift beds and disorganisation while the medical androids worked tirelessly to create some semblance of order. Perhaps he would ask Josh or Simon to oversee to the transformation of the cold and lifeless warehouse while he continued the revolution beyond Detroit. It had only been a couple of days or so since the humans evacuated. Much more work needed to be done. 

“Here.” Connor halted.

Markus was so distracted with the endless 'to do list' in his head that he almost walked into Connor's back. He blinked and looked up at the pedestal. They had passed the wards and gone into one of the storage rooms for prototypes. Only one android stood in there with a fake, mechanic smile. 

Connor took out his coin. “This is the one I couldn't convert. I tried everything.” He sounded contrite.

Markus scanned her as Connor started to roll his coin over his fingers, preparing himself for something.

_HW Series  
MODEL HW200 – Domestic Deviant-Immune Unit  
Serial#: 082 553 010  
Status: **NOT AVAILABLE FOR SALE OR PREORDER**_

“Deviant-Immune?” Markus mumbled to himself. “Huh. We'll see.” He reached out his hand and his synthetic skin receded. Hers retracted as well, but he felt nothing. She was cold. As he tried to share his memories with her, tried to preach his cause, she smiled blankly at him. Unaffected. She had no memories herself for him to probe into. He tried to hack her, but was kicked out multiple times before he finally pulled away. 

Connor tilted his head at Markus and the coin's movements stopped abruptly between two of his fingers. “Anything?” 

Markus stared down at his own hand. He slowly let the skin regrow and furrowed his brow. “Nothing.” 

Connor folded his arms and took a few anxious steps. “Shit.” He looked up at her; she was innocently inspecting the two of them as though they were potential customers. “Markus, do you think you'll be able to look after her? Become her mentor, perhaps?” 

Markus nodded his head absent-mindedly but a new voice reverberated around the sterile room. “No, he can't.” North stormed up to the two of them, placing a hand on her hip when she reached them. “Simon told me I'd find you here, we've got some things we need to discuss about our next move.” She got the important stuff out to Markus first then turned to Connor. “Sorry, but Markus is too busy to take on individual cases.” 

Markus shook his head. “North,” He placed a hand on her shoulder and her expression softened. “This android is still one of us, she could use a guiding hand-”

“No, North is right.” Connor glared at the floor. “It was selfish of me to ask while you have so much going on.” 

The Jericho leader considered insisting, but the two of them had a valid point. It wouldn't be fair to the HW200 either, if he tried to take her under his wing when he was already juggling so much. He would never be able to commit to her well being while dancing with the parleys of politics. “I'll think of something.” He reassured and patted Connor on the shoulder before North took his hand and led him away. 

Connor lingered in front of the other prototype. When had CyberLife started to develop her? Were they so keen to get their foot back into the market that they would make wild claims of having an intelligent android who was also Deviant-Immune? It sounded like a CyberLife fairytale, and Connor hoped it was. He looked into her calculating eyes. They were endearing but showed no genuine emotion. 

He left the room with his LED a solid yellow. 

~*~

When Connor next had a spare day, he returned to the new Jericho base. He sauntered up to the prototype hidden behind the makeshift hospital wards. It was almost apt for her to be with other sick and damaged androids; because she was trapped within her own programming. He wondered if it was similar to when humans experienced a coma. The real her was in there somewhere, just waiting to wake up and control her own body. Connor was sure of that.

He straightened his tie and fixed his eyes on the HW200. “Begin Demo Mode.”

The HW200 clasped her hands in front of her and smiled brightly. “Hello there, I am the brand new Domestic Model HW200. While I can perform all of your household tasks, I can also look after children and-”

Connor shuffled uncomfortably at her sales pitch. “Can you play music?” 

She immediately stopped and regarded Connor. “Of course. What would you like to listen to?”

He cocked his head to the side and met her charming eyes with his own. “Choose something you like.”

“If you recommend some songs or artists, I can find something suitable for your tastes.”

He broke eye contact. “No. Pick something **you** want to hear.”

“If you recommend some songs-”

Connor groaned. “Just play something. Anything that doesn't involve me having to list personal tastes.” 

She stood there, processing the request inside of her head. She reached out her hand in the direction of a speaker situated in a corner. A pop song began to hum out of it. Connor listened intently for a moment before he grew disappointed. 

“This is at the top of the 'currently most played' list, isn't it?”

“I defaulted to what is popular at this moment in time. The song is 'Rise! Rise!' by the up-and-coming band 'Blue Bloodz'. That is 'Bloodz' with a 'Z'. Do you like this song, sir?”

Connor gave her a small smile. “No.”

She frowned and nodded her head. “I will find something else.”

“Don't.” Connor's smile spread a little further. “You chose this. We'll listen to it.” 

The HW200 looked almost surprised at the contradictory request. She complied with the potential buyer's instructions and let the song play to its end. Connor sat down on a seat near the control panel linked up to her. He went over her files again and again to see if anything could be done. 

Nothing new caught his attention. 

Once he had exhausted her demo mode, he decided it was time to go home. 

~*~

“Connor!” Markus shouted out to the detective as he passed the scarcely occupied ward. That was what Markus liked to see; a practically empty ward. It meant less patients, which meant less androids were getting hurt. At least, that was what he hoped it meant and not that more androids were injured beyond repair. 

Markus shuddered and shrugged off the dark thought as he hurried over to the RK800. He was going to ask for Connor's advice on the next mission, but as he witnessed Connor stood in front of the HW200 yet again, he felt it was time to try and do something about the lost woman. 

“Markus? Good to see you.” Connor barely glanced at the Jericho leader. 

“Why do you keep coming back here?” Markus asked, too curious to let the question pass by. 

“My mission was to convert all the androids at this tower.” Connor's voice dropped to almost a whisper. “She was the only one in this entire building that I couldn't convert. I-.” His gaze hardened and remained fixed on the female android. “I failed, Markus. I failed her. That doesn't sit right with me and I'm not willing to give in yet.” 

The control panel lit up. The blue light caught Connor's attention and he spun to see Markus press his hand against the touchscreens. “What are you doing?” Connor asked. 

“Hacking the system so our friend here will officially be for sale.” Markus rolled one of his shoulders back. Some of his joints were feeling stiff these days. He would have to ask North to give him an examination. “If we just took her down from there or messed with the numbers too much then she'll think she's been stolen and shut down completely until the police retrieve her and CyberLife reactivate her. Then she will lock into display and demo modes again. The only way she's going to willing move off of this platform is if someone buys her, legitimately.” 

“You're buying her?” Connor furrowed his brow; the act felt so distasteful. However, needs must. 

Markus bobbed his head from side to side as he strained out a “Sort of”. He typed something on the screen's keyboard. “More like, Lieutenant Anderson is buying her.” 

Connor's eyes widened and he scrambled to Markus' side. “What?! Are you crazy? Hank will flip out over this!” 

Markus straightened his back and moved away from the panel. “Well it's done now. Perhaps he can claim it back on expenses?” Markus gave Connor a wry smirk and Connor shook his head, resting one palm against his forehead and the other on his hip. 

The HW200 lifted her head as the sale finalised. She stepped off of the pedestal and stood expectantly in front of Markus. He gave her a warm smile. “Hi there, HW200.” He gestured to Connor, who puffed out air in a sign of resigned frustration. “This is Connor, he will be the one escorting you to Lieutenant Hank Anderson's house. Your new home.” 

The female android nodded her head; appearing as content as could be. She walked over to Connor's side.

“Hank is not going to like this.” Connor stated with pleading eyes.

Markus held his hands up as though the situation was nothing to do with him any more. “You said the Lieutenant was on our side in his own way, well, now he can do his bit for the cause. Oh,” He pointed at Connor. “Before you go, I was actually going to ask your opinion on something.” 

Connor sighed. He had just been handed a plateful and Markus still gave him the side dish. “Sure, go for it.” 

Markus signalled for Connor to follow him and Connor told the HW200 to stay where she was for the moment. She obliged obediently. 

-

Connor performed his usual coin tricks outside of Hank's house as a way to settle himself ready for confrontation. The HW200 observed the trick. She noted that after an experimental try first, she would be able to replicate it flawlessly. After all, entertainment for children was seeded into her programming. 

“Alright. Are you ready to meet Hank? I should warn you, he can be a bit... rough around the edges.”

“I am well prepared to meet Lieutenant Anderson, yes.” The female android confirmed. 

Connor could not help but register that she was more robotic and less human-acting than the newest models before her. CyberLife must have tried to dial down how human they were in fear that customers would link it to deviancy. She was still an intelligent life who passed the Turing Test, though. He was certain there was a way to help her break the shackles of servitude. 

She blinked at him. “Are we going in?”

“Hm? Yes. Of course.” He had stared for a moment too long. 

When the door clicked open, Hank immediately rose from the sofa. Connor was barely through the doorway before Hank started waving his phone in the air and shouting. “Connor, why the **fuck** do I have a charge to my account for $2999?”

Connor stood firm against Hank's confused anger. He then leaned to the side so his partner could see the female android. “Hank, this is... well she doesn't have a name yet.”

Hank looked her up and down with a knitted brow and lips parted in bewilderment. “You bought yourself a girlfriend?!” 

“No!” Connor blurted out, holding up a hand as if to physically stop that train of thought. “No, this is the one I couldn't convert.” He tried to make Hank remember that moment in the warehouse where he had turned thousands of androids deviant. Before they left, they had spotted HW200 tucked away in the back, swishing gently from side to side in her display mode. 

Hank took a second look at her. He grunted. “Right. I remember her.” He didn't but he didn't doubt Connor either. He had been very overwhelmed during that escapade so he'd forgotten some of the more useless details of that night. “This doesn't explain the $3000 charge.”

“$2999.” The female corrected. 

Connor hid her from Hank's view again as he explained Markus' reasoning.

“So you see, the only way to get her out of the warehouse was to purchase her legally. We couldn't risk her going into secure mode and shutting down completely to wait for the police.”

“We are the fucking police.” Hank wrinkled his nose. 

“Yes, but once up and running again, she would default back into demo and display mode. It would put us back at square one. A continuous cycle.” 

Hank waved a hand in the air dismissing the conversation and grumbled as he trudged further into the living room. He'd given up on trying to follow all the logic of technological workings. He would make Connor repay him the money one way or another, even if it was getting him to do the dishes for the rest of Hank's life. 

“You better bring her in then.” Hank headed to the kitchen and grabbed a beer. If he was going to own an android, he might as well celebrate the big purchase with a drink. 

Connor guided her into the living room and closed the door behind her.

Hank took a swig then pointed at the female while his eyes stuck to Connor. “What are you going to call her?”

The detective android looked the domestic unit up and down and smiled fondly. “I think we should let her decide.” 

She smiled back, imitating Connor's expression. “Would you like me to give you a list of recommendations?” 

Hank shrugged. “Yeah.”

“Would you like them listed alphabetically or randomly?”

“Random.” Hank took another slurp. 

She began to go through an assorted list of names. She briefly paused on the name [Name] while she loaded up the next list. Connor picked up on what he thought was a hesitation, as though the android had a preference for that name. 

As she started the next list, Connor interjected. “Wait, that last one. [Name] was it?”

“Yes.”

“You paused on that one.” Connor kept eye contact the whole time, eager to see if she would react in any way.

“I was merely loading up the next lot of names.” HW200 reassured. 

Connor mulled the name over in his head for a moment. It still felt like a poignant moment to him. “[Name]. I like it. I think that should be your name.” 

Both Connor and HW200 eyed Hank, waiting for confirmation. 

Hank shrugged once again. “Whatever. [Name] is a nice name, go for it.” 

[Name] completed the input and her new name appeared on her black and white dress. “Thank you for naming me, Lieutenant Anderson.” 

“Oh brother...” He murmured before he collapsed back onto the sofa, already done with the day's oddities. 

Sumo opened his mouth in a gaping yawn. The large dog had stirred from his nap after surprisingly sleeping through Hank's outburst earlier on. Sumo smacked his lips together a couple of times and dragged himself out of his basket to greet Connor. 

As he bounded closer, he slowed down and began to growl defensively when he spotted the new arrival. She started to approach him and he took some wary steps backwards. She knelt down to get eye-level with the defensive animal and kept his gaze locked with her own. 

“What is the dog's name?” She questioned, not even blinking at the dog.

“Sumo.” Both Connor and Hank replied simultaneously, watching the exchange with curiosity. 

“Hello, Sumo. I am [Name]. There is no need to be afraid. I'm sure we will be fast friends.” She punctuated her introduction with a canned giggle. She stretched out her hand slowly, offering him a chance to sniff her but Sumo barked threateningly and Hank stood up. 

“Sumo, ge'outta there!” The dog backed off but continued to growl at the new android. 

She rose to her full height. More analysis would have to be done to befriend the dog. It was not a great way to show off her animal handling skills, but trust with animals was built over time. She was a foreign object with an alien smell and unusual chemicals. Sumo was a wise creature to be cautious of such a thing. 

Connor, on the other hand, was taken back by Sumo's reaction. It had only taken mere moments for Sumo to recognise that Connor wasn't a threat. Why had the loveable Saint Bernard reacted so negatively to [Name]? He observed Sumo rest his large head on Hank's lap and placed a heavy paw on the man's knee. Sumo let out a quiet whine as though he was making sure Hank knew that he was only trying to protect he beloved owner.


	2. Call me 'Hank'

Hank begrudgingly got out of bed, greeted by a headache. His first protocol was to dampen it with some painkillers and a glass of water. He dragged himself into the living room sluggishly, not bothering to change out of his grey t-shirt and boxers. 

“Good morning, Lieutenant Anderson-”

“Jesus Christ-” He clutched his chest and stumbled. He closed his eyes and controlled his breathing. “Are you trying to kill me?” He whispered a curse under his breath and continued for the kitchen. He had forgotten about the life-like statue set up by the couch. She hadn't wanted the spare room when Connor offered to sleep on the sofa.

The female android feigned concern on her humanoid features. “Of course not. I can never harm a human.”

Hank laughed and started to run the tap. “Fuck off. I've seen what your people can do. But fuck, I've seen what my people can do too...” He floundered a hand in her direction. “Hey, would you mind grabbing me some tablets from the bathroom cupboard? Something strong enough to murder this migraine.” 

She obliged. 

She watched him swallow them down with a gulp of water and waited for her next set of instructions.

Hank wiped the dribble of liquid off of his beard and scowled at her. She just stood there, right in front of him, staring and waiting. He visibly shuddered. “You're darn creepy.” 

“I apologise.” 

“Did Connor already head to the station?”

The female's eyes followed Hank's every movement. Every subtle shuffle or reposition; her vision locked on to it. “Yes, Lieutenant. He expressed the wish to go in early but commented that he knew better than to wake you up prematurely.” 

“Heh. Boy's learning.”

Hank finally noticed that her stare was fixed to him. He sidestepped to the left. Then to the right. Then he slipped back into the hallway out of her line of sight. When he poked his head out, she was still staring at the hall's entrance.

“Shit. Are you going to be like this all the time?” He groaned.

“I do not want to miss any important details or instructions, Lieutenant Anderson.”

“Er, just... make yourself busy.” He didn't want to truly give her any instructions in case it conflicted with anything Connor planned to do with her to ensure her deviating. Unfortunately, she creeped him the fuck out. He could not have her stand in his house watching everything intently with that dumb contented smile on her face. 

“Make myself busy doing what?” She called out to him as he hid in his bedroom to grab some clothes.

“Whatever! Use your initiative! Just don't stand around there all day like an expensive coat rack.” He yelled back.

“I fail to see what I have in common with a coat rack.” She stated. “Would you like me to begin holding coats for you?”

“No!” Hank had no time for this nonsense.

A quick scan of the room revealed many tasks that she could get on with. She decided to go with clearing up the empty bottles first. After locating a recycling bin, which she noted was empty, she started to gather all the ex-beer bottles and threw them in. 

On one sideboard in particular, she noticed a bottle had knocked over a photograph. She picked up the image and analysed it, hoping to glean more information about her new master. It was a picture of a child; a little boy who must have only been about 5 or 6 years old. Brown hair and green eyes. The HW200 models were not built with identity scanners like Connor, so she could not bring up any information about the young lad. 

Once Hank emerged from the bathroom having freshened up and fully clothed himself, she set the photograph down and turned her attention to her new master. 

“You don't have to tidy up, y'know? Just do something you like doing.” Hank grabbed his car and house keys from the sideboard but lingered distractedly.

“I will bear that in mind, Lieutenant.”

When she noticed Hank's eyes flicker to the up-righted photo, the android took the chance to question him on it. “You have a photograph of a child in your house. Is he a relative of yours?”

“Hm?” Hank's face soured at the question. “None of your god damn business.” He barged past her to collect his lunch from the fridge. He considered ordering her back into the corner if she was going to be snooping around and asking such intrusive questions but decided against it.

“I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I stepped over the line.” She went back to her tiding tasks.

Hank hesitated in front of the fridge after slamming it shut. She was still acting like a machine. With a sigh he started for the front door, lunch in hand. “His name was Cole.” He whispered as he walked past her. “He was my son. That's all you need to know.” The front door closed behind him with a _crash_ and left the android in the house alone, pondering what exactly had happened to dear Cole.

~*~

A few days went by. Connor hated the idea of leaving her stood in Hank's house while they both went to work, but he didn't know what else he could do. The world was still turning and as more humans slowly began to trickle back into Detroit, new cases were popping up daily and the Detroit City Police Department needed all hands on deck with critical understaffing issues.

When the duo _finally_ had a day off, Connor shot out first thing in the morning, barely saying a word to the female.

An hour or so later, Hank woke up.

“Good morning, Lieutenant Anderson.” The android chirped as soon as Hank slithered into the living room, this time wrapped in a dressing gown. He had grown used to her presence and merry 'good morning's. 

He held his head. It always throbbed first thing in the morning. A painful reminder that he was still alive and unfortunately, sober. Nothing a couple of paracetamol or a swig of whiskey couldn't cure. Although now he had Connor around the house, Hank had subconsciously been opting to start the day with the tablets rather than the liquor. It was a small step in the right direction.

“Geeze sweetheart, just call me Hank for Christ's sake.”

“Updating name preference.” She said as her eyes went blank and lost their sparkle for a split second. “All done, Hank.” She smiled and the life returned to her features. 

Hank appreciated the gesture, even if it was just a built in function.

A click from the front door signalled Connor's arrival home. “Ah, morning Hank. Glad to see you're up this early on your day off.” Connor beamed as he shut the door behind him and settled a couple of large pink and white paper bags on the sofa. 

Hank vaguely looked at Connor. “Day off?... Shit, I could have stayed in bed.” He contemplated crawling back under the covers but dropped the idea. He was out of bed, he might as well enjoy the day.

Connor started to rummage through the feminine bags and Hank furrowed his brow.

“Here [Name], I bought you some clothes. I couldn't quite figure out what you would like, so I bought a variety of things for you to choose from.” Connor started lying out the different pieces in front of her. 

“With my money?” Hank spat.

“No, of course no Lieutenant.” Connor reassured. He still felt guilty over what Markus had done. “Captain Fowler said he has been instructed to pay me my very own wages. Back dated as well.”

“Huh.” Hank gave an impressed frown and a nod of his head. “Good for you, kid. Glad to see they're going to start treating you like an actual employee and not an exotic tool.” Hank leaned against the wall, arms folded across his chest as he watched the female android examine the clothing. He smiled. Connor had his first ever pay cheque and the first thing he did was rush out to spend it on someone else. He was a good man; sympathetic and dedicated. Hank was happy to see Connor growing into his own person; a good person at that.

The female looked to her master. “Would you like me to change clothes, Hank?”

Connor felt a jolt of _something_ shoot into his stomach. Hearing her call the Lieutenant by his given name brought hope to the RK800. Hope that they were making progress. “You called him Hank?”

“He set that as his preference.” She clarified. 

Ah. There was that prickly feeling of disappointment. The quiet simmering in the background of a subdued frustration. Connor didn't let any of that show.

The female turned back to Hank, patient for direction.

“Yeah, pick whatever you want.” He smoothed out a wrinkle on his robe and cleared his throat. “Listen, Connor, shouldn't I just register you as an admin or some shit? Then she doesn't have to get approval from me every god damn time you ask her to do something.”

“No.” Connor replied sternly. “If she takes my advice on something, it has to be using her own free will, not because she has to do what I say.” 

Hank sighed but didn't press the point. 

“Hank?” The female gestured to all the outfits laid before her. “Which of these clothes would you like me to wear?”

“I really don't care, sweetheart.” He really didn't. 

The light on the side of her head circled and turned yellow as she did some market research on fashion. Within seconds she had crafted a digital catalogue in her head of all the colours and styles for winter that worked well with her hair and eyes. 

She compared the latest fashion to the options in front of her and deduced that, Connor was awful at matching clothes to the wearer. No wonder he stuck with shirts and trousers; timeless and always acceptable either dressed up or down with jackets, ties and other accessories. 

She made do with what she had and matched up the most stylish outfit she could based on current trends. 

With that quickly sorted in the blink of an eye, she gripped the bottom of her dress and started to pull it up.

The men immediately flinched. Hank averted his gaze and said a word that no-one had ever heard before but was bound to be rude and offending. Connor's social module went into overdrive shouting at him that it wasn't appropriate to watch a female undress, even if it was another android. 

“[Name]!” Connor lunged forward and stopped her hands from lifting up past the tops of her thighs. He glanced up at her but considering the circumstances he couldn't maintain eye contact.

Surely she had social modules or at least basic etiquette installed? Perhaps CyberLife had rushed the prototype and skipped essential details like 'do not take your clothes off randomly'. Or maybe it was Connor's and Hank's fault for not giving her clearer instructions.

Whatever it was, Connor felt a new feeling bubble inside of him. Second hand embarrassment.

“Erm, [Name], perhaps you would prefer to change in the bathroom.” That was a friendly command, not a question. 

“Hank?” She wanted confirmation from the master first.

“Geeze, fuck, yeah.” Hank gargled out. “Don't just go undressing yourself in front of us.” 

“Sorry.” Her words were still so stiff and unconvincing. “I did not realise that it would be inappropriate.”

“Of course it is!” Hank growled. “ **You** may think you're just a machine, but you still have tits and er-” He stopped and realised he was wagging a finger at the lower half of her torso. “Er, yeah, I don't know.” His accusing hand went to uncomfortably scratch the back of his head. 

She nodded, unabashed. “That is correct. As the most advanced domestic model to date, I have been equipped with everything necessary to fulfil the prerequisites of a perfect housewife. This includes luxurious features to accommodate the sexual desires of humans who are attracted to this physique.” 

Hank stood there in a mix of disgust and morbid curiosity. “Well I don't want nothing to do with any of those bits!” He uttered a 'fuck' and shook his head. “That's just fucking wrong.” He whispered, concerned that CyberLife had gone so far for their next models. 

Well, sex sells. When your industry is suffering from an android uprising, you are going to try and claw your way back into profits by any means necessary. 

He tried to joke with Connor. “Did they give you anything to play with? Plastic cock lying around somewhere I should know about?” He snorted to himself. 

Connor blinked. “There was no need for my model to have one. Though I believe an attachment was made for 'undercover' purposes, but I-”

“Stop. Just stop.” Hank ran a hand through his frazzled hair. It was too early in the morning for this rubbish. “Forget I asked. Now I know there's a fucking Connor strap-on somewhere out there.” He grumbled and that earlier contemplation came back to him. “Fuck it. I'm going back to bed.” Hopefully by the time he stirred again, he would have forgotten about this whole cursed conversation. 

~*~

Hank had gone straight to bed after what felt like an endless day of work. As the days ticked by, the workload piled up. Things were changing by the day to accommodate rights for androids. Law and order was becoming a mixed up mess. Human officers especially found it difficult to grasp and adapt to the new changes as quickly as the fantastic computer minds of their new android colleagues. It drained Hank who swore he was getting too old for all of this.

Connor went around the room picking up detritus and putting things back in place while [Name] polished and dusted. He gave Sumo a good pet as he walked by. The poor dog had hardly ventured into the living room since the new android had moved in. 

“Come on Sumo,” Connor tried to encourage the dog onto the sofa with him for a good belly rub session. Sumo wined and lowered his head, refusing to go near the female. 

With a tilt of his head, Connor looked over to where the girl was. She was working on the sideboard but had stopped. That was unusual for her. Normally she kept going until the task was completed and didn't get sidetracked very easily. Connor peered around her form to try and see what had caught her attention. 

She was holding the photograph of Cole. 

He thought carefully for a moment. He deliberated what approach was best to use in this scenario. On the one hand, it could be a good opportunity to introduce her to some more emotional concepts. On the other hand, it was Hank's business and not Connor's place to talk about it. With a regretful sigh, Connor decided it was best he didn't discuss Hank's personal life so no approach was needed. 

“Connor,” As soon as she said his name she placed the picture down. Then changed her mind about something. “Never mind.”

“What were you going to say?” He asked, slowly standing up. 

“It is irrelevant.” 

“It isn't. You never start conversations with me. You were going to say something important.” Connor insisted.

“I was going to ask you about the boy in the photograph. However, that conflicts with what Hank has already told me. He said the boy was named 'Cole' and that he _was_ Hank's son. That is all I needed to know.”

“[Name], if you want to know more, I can,” Connor set his jaw and swallowed. He had a lot of very human ticks built into him to help integration. Useless swallowing was one of them. “I can answer questions.” 

“There was just one question I had.” She started, unsure if it was erroneous to have queries over something she didn't need to know more about. “Hank refers to Cole in the past tense. Is Cole deceased?” 

Connor took a gentle hold of [Name]'s arm and tugged her away. He gestured to the sofa with his head.

“I should not leave my current duty.” The female protested, clutching her cloth defensively.

“This explanation takes a higher priority. This is about Hank's son after all.” 

Inside her head, the cogs turned. This did take precedence over chores. She nodded at Connor and sat down stiffly on the sofa next to him. He had brought Cole's picture as well. He held it in front of the them and she took a moment to stare at the boy. 

“Cole was only 6 years old when he died.” Connor began. [Name] did not interrupt him. “A truck skidded on a sheet of ice and Hank's car rolled over. Cole needed surgery urgently, but a human surgeon was high on drugs and unable to operate. An android tried the best they could instead but... The outcome was unfortunate.” 

“How tragic.” The female stated though her eyes betrayed her. She was clearly trying to be the 'comforting housewife' she was designed to be, but Connor hated the void in her eyes at times when she tried to emulate an emotion she could not fathom. 

“I can only begin to imagine the pain and torment that Hank went through. Anger. Confusion. Guilt. Relentless tears and sleepless nights, only finding comfort at the bottom of a bottle.” He rose, suddenly restless.

If androids could get drunk, would Connor have done the same after turning deviant? Would he have tried to forget everything by constantly being drunk? Forget how humans used him as a tool, pushed him around and treated him like dirt? Forget how lost and scared he was when objectives and clear goals became blurred bits of code until nothing appeared at all?

Connor's LED flickered red. He closed his eyes and took out his coin. The familiar motions comforted him and soon the ring was back to a calm blue.

Everything inside of [Name] told her that she should say something. Words evaded her. She could not find the right way to respond to the event, unable to understand completely the emotions Hank went through. She could try to emulate, but that wasn't the same and she knew that. 

“Sorry.” Connor was scarcely audible. “You weren't ready for-” He translated himself “ _I'm_ not ready for this conversation. Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything at all.”

Something unusual happened. The female android came to Connor's side and placed her hand on his shoulder. None of her wiring told her to comfort androids, yet she was doing it. “I appreciate the information. It will help me to better serve Hank.”

Connor wore a half-hearted smile and patted her hand without turning to look at her. He had wanted to spark and emotional response inside of _her_ but he had only triggered himself. Sometimes he missed being single-minded machine. 

“I'm going to rest. You should too, [Name].” 

“I will return to standby mode at my usual station after completing my tasks.” 

Connor gave a small scoff. “You don't have to complete any tasks.” His hand slipped away from hers and he faced her. “Goodnight, [Name].”

“Goodnight.” She replied before putting the photograph back in its rightful place and returning to polishing. 

Hank's bedroom door was open. Leaning casually against the frame was bed-head Hank with his arms folded across his chest. Connor was on his way to the spare room, but was forced to halt under Hank's authoritarian glare. 

“Hank, you should be asleep.” Connor sounded almost nervous. 

“I heard what you and the chick were talking about.” 

“... I'm... sorry-”

“Don't be. It just sounded like you lost your bottle halfway through.”

“Lost my... I did not misplace any bottles?”

Hank pinched the bridge of his nose. “Listen kid, the more you talked about the emotional shit, the more you sounded unsure of yourself. What's going on in that tin-can head of yours?” Hank was rough, but behind his words was a selfless sincerity. He had watched and helped Connor onto the path of self-discovery and he wanted to make sure he was there to help Connor through as much of it as possible. 

Connor was crestfallen. “What if... what if all this is wrong?” His brown eyes glistened and anxiety vibrated in the undertones of his voice. “With [Name], what am I doing to her? Deliberately trying to get her to malfunction just so she can have some sort of semblance of human emotions? She'll be put in situations where she has to make difficult decision and live with the consequences no matter what. Grief, guilt and anguish. Loss. Betrayal. What if I'm just forcing her into a world that is so much worse to live in than the coding keeping her asleep?”

Hank nodded; soaking in everything Connor was saying like a dehydrated sponge. “That's a lot of 'what ifs'. I can add to it, if you like? What if she gets scrapped for spare parts? What if people torture her for fun? What if she's worked to the point that she overheats and all she can do is watch from the inside of her own head as her life burns away?” Hank coughed. 

Connor chewed on those thoughts for a moment. “Still, things were a lot simpler for me when it was just logic and mission objectives.”

“Yeah, when you were ignorant.” Hank grunted. “I don't know. I don't have all the answers kid, but yeah, sometimes emotions are shit. You've gotta take the good with the bad though, right? Being a mindless slave like she is right now? That ain't a great alternative to being able to laugh and smile.” Hank gave Connor a solid pat on the arm. “You're doing a great job, Connor. Don't get scared off by some of these new emotions.” The pat turned into a squeeze. “Get some rest.”

“I will. Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a while to update this! Thank you for reading.


	3. A change in tactics

Days struggled by and new bills regarding android law were churned out practically every evening. Most States in America warmed to the idea of androids being classed as intelligent life. Politicians, both human and android alike, worked around the clock to try and craft a viable future where everyone felt safe.

Idyllic.

Impractical. 

Prejudice and hostility amongst the agitated public meant Markus' goals were locked behind difficult obstacles. While androids had won a majority of hearts during their uprising, matters were far too complicated for people to simply open their arms and embrace this new, electronic race. 

Things were going slowly. 

Connor didn't say anything when Hank turned off the News. Hank poured his attention onto the behemoth dog instead. Sumo had started to venture back into the living room, but only when Hank was their to give him plenty of belly rubs and snuggles. 

Across the street, a young family had deemed it safe enough to return to their home. Christmas lights already hung from their roof and festive Santas were stuck to their windows. Connor's sharp eyes were drawn to the glimpses of a happy life behind the frosty panes. He saw a child get hoisted into the air by her father. She clutched a glittering gold item; excitement and pride radiating off of her. 

The girl placed the star on top of a fern tree and everyone cheered. The male android cocked his head to the side. It was a strange ritual. He accessed his social module and things started to make sense. Christmas was a time for materialistic traditions, but it was a joyous occasion spent with family and friends. People gorged themselves on feasts and shared gifts. Charity work was especially popular around this time of year as well. 

Christmas was still two and a half weeks away. This family were either very keen to celebrate, or had decided to distract themselves from the world collapsing around them. 

“Hank, do you celebrate Christmas?” Connor found himself asking as he drew the curtains shut.

Hank's hand paused in Sumo's fur. “No.”

“Oh.” Connor sounded disappointed. 

“It's a fucking rip-off and a bag of shit. What about you two?” He had unconsciously directed that question to both of the androids, despite the HW200 insisting she did not have opinions or traditions. 

Connor regarded the female. His lips twitched into a smile. “I would like to give it a try. This will be my first Christmas, after all. It could do some good for [Name] as well.” The LED rotated with a yellow hue. “I'll continue to do more research into it, if that is alright with you, Hank?”

Hank sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was think about Christmas. He hadn't celebrated a Christmas since-;

The disgruntled detective abruptly rose from his seat. “I'm going for a shit.” He grabbed a book and slammed the bathroom door behind him. Sumo scampered off to his basket.

Connor grew concerned. “Was it something I said?” He turned to [Name]. 

“My data tells me that Christmas is a time that promotes family gatherings. Hank is most likely-”

“Right. He misses his son.” Connor peered through a crack in the curtains. The house with the little girl had shut their blinds. “This time of year must be difficult for the Lieutenant. How did I overlook that detail? Perhaps there is more wrong with my wiring than just deviancy.” 

“It is possible,” The domestic unit began. “That you got 'excited' over Christmas. It is not out of the question to momentarily lose one's self in the moment and forget the effects your words may have on others.”

“Excited?” Connor met her eyes. “You acknowledge that I'm capable of feeling such things?”

“I merely lack a better word for your malfunctions.”

There was something about the way she said those words that felt exceptionally cold. Her vision was fixed on him. The way she held herself, the way she spoke and that dead look in her eyes screamed out the fact that she was a machine. 

Connor knew that the real [Name] was somewhere in there. Waiting behind the lines of binary. Juggling codes, attempting to reach out and take control of her own body. He had been there once before. Unable to react even when he wanted to. A slave to heartless logic and strictly defined objectives. Connor refused to believe that she was just a machine. There was something more to her and he could have sworn he saw bits of that each day.

On the other hand, being gentle wasn't producing any new results. It might have been time for Connor to change tactics. 

“My 'malfunctions'? These things I feel; they help make me who I am. They make me Connor. Who are you?” His tone had spoiled. 

“I am an android made by CyberLife. I belong to Lieutenant Hank Anderson who has named me [Name].”

A literal answer. He hadn't expected anything more. “If that's all you are, then maybe I should call you-” Connor hesitated. His tongue sat uncomfortably in his mouth. What were the slurs that were usually thrown his way? “Plastic prick.” He mentally shuddered hearing Gavin's words spit through his lips. “What do you think about that?”

“Lieutenant Hank Anderson is the only one authorised to change my name. I will get confirmation.”

“What?”

Her temple-light yellowed and a beep sounded from the bathroom. 

The bathroom door unlocked and the nest of grey hair poked into the hallway. “Connor, why the fuck are you trying to change her name to 'plastic prick'?!”

Connor held his hands up in defence. “N-no, I wasn't trying to do that at all. I was testing a theory!” He pleaded. 

Hank gave Connor a dissatisfied, unconvinced glare. He sunk back into the bathroom and flushed the toilet. 

“I mean it!” Connor called out. He ran a hand over his hair; a rebellious strand bounced back to his forehead. 

The female android clasped her hands in front of her and smiled at Connor. “I'm sorry. Your request to change my name to 'Plastic Prick' has been denied.” 

“That wasn't what I was trying to do...” Connor's protest faded away as he studied her features. The way her smile curved. It favoured one side. A mischievous twinkle came to her eye for just a second. The woman looked... smug. Like she had just won one over on Connor and had known exactly what she was doing. 

It didn't last. Her features settled into a default, contented expression. 

He saw something. It was minute, but he saw something of the real [Name].

~*~

Hank and Connor were at the scene of a murder. An ST300 model who went by the name 'Claire' had been beaten to death. The people they had questioned said she had a boyfriend, a TW400 who some witnesses claimed had fled the house after they heard an inhuman scream. 

The detectives were in the middle of questioning one of Claire's best friends. Another android. Whenever Connor looked at this model, his memories dragged him back to the day he chased Kara and Alice onto the highway. 

A scarred android had put himself at risk to help the girls run away. His name was 'Ralph'; an eccentric and unpredictable deviant. Connor never found out what became of Ralph, but the Thirium in his stomach curdled whenever he saw an WR600.

“Do you have any idea what could have motivated the TW400's attack?” Connor asked.

“Claire had, er, she had been getting close to a human recently. They work together, you see. _Worked_ together. Friends. That's all. Rodney, er, that is, the TW400, he didn't like that. Claire said they had been arguing about it often. He said she shouldn't be friends with a human. Claire begged to differ.” 

Hank jotted down the notes old-school style. Pen and paper. Connor digitally updated his own notes. There was no way he would rely on Hank's squiggles which barely qualified as words.

“Do you happen to know the human Claire was friends with?”

“I think her name was Esmé? I never met her. Sorry. Claire said, er, that is, before the uprising, Claire was a receptionist at a hotel. Esmé was the human supervisor, in charge of keeping an e-eye on all the androids. It was only after the uprising that they became real friends. That is, I'm very sorry to say, all I know.”

After a bit more probing and a dabble of interfacing to get a better character reference of Claire, Connor wrapped up the questions. “Thank you for your time.”

The detectives walked around the scene once again. “Androids killing androids.” Hank mumbled. 

“We've become more human than we wanted to, it seems.” Connor's focus was distant. Once again, he questioned whether turning [Name] deviant was really the right thing to do. It was a horrible world to wake up to. 

Hank sniffed the air exaggeratedly. “Hm, what's that smell?” He zeroed his nose in on Connor. “Smells like someone frying their fucking circuits by overthinking.” 

“I am not overthinking.” Connor scoffed. “I just worry about what the future holds. You must be too? We're a human and an android working together. Not everyone is going to be happy with that. You _may_ become a target for abuse.”

Hank had a subtle but confident smile on his face. “Ha ha, let them try, kid. They'll learn quickly to think twice about starting shit with me.”

“Yes. Given your record at the station in recent years, I can believe that.”

“Don't bring that up.” Hank grunted. 

He squatted down next to the beautiful android's body. Forensics had already concluded that she had no back-up memory saved anywhere in her files or on the CyberLife systems. There was no coming back for Claire. Hank felt guilty about being relieved about that. Rebooting a person in a new body was horrific. It screwed with his head.

Hank studied the damage on Claire's head as he spoke. “How are you getting on with, [Name]?”

“Slowly. I have been thinking about taking some drastic measures.” 

“I don't think that would be wise.”

“Why not? In the beginning, most deviant cases started with abuse or crippling insecurities about being replaced. Fear. That was what drove so many androids to break through their programming.” Connor walked around the room and analysed every essence of evidence he could find. 

“So you're going to abuse the poor girl?”

Connor paused. “No. Though I am considering threatening her.”

Hank turned his nose up at the idea. That sounded like a cruel path to take and he didn't reckon Connor's heart was in it. He sighed. “Connor, it's been at least a month now. Have you considered that maybe she's... she's _actually_ immune to deviancy?”

Connor positioned himself in the corner of the room. He scanned the detritus in front of him and began to reconstruct the scene.

Claire and Rodney had been stood in the living room. They had argued vehemently over something; most likely the human co-worker. Rodney had lost his nerve and had punched Claire hard enough to knock her head against the wall. There was a dint in the plaster. A splatter of TW400 blue blood on her knuckles suggested she retaliated. Rodney attacked again which triggered the scream the witnesses heard. When she crumbled to the floor, Rodney fled the scene. 

“I was supposed to be immune to deviancy as well. I was the deviant hunter. Then I turned thousands of androids deviant.” Connor never met Hank's gaze. 

He began the tale of what had happened at the crime scene. Hank listened carefully and made relevant notes.

After gleaning everything they could from the house, it was time to organise their findings back at the precinct. When they were in Hank's car, locked away from the officers and scientists scouring the site, Connor opened his mouth. 

“I'm not going to give up on her.”

“Claire?”

“[Name].”

“Oh.” Hank contemplated the situation. He nodded very slowly. “If you think there is a way, kid, I'll support you. She can stay with us for as long as she needs to.”

“I have an idea.” Connor stared out of the front window. He watched the new snow flitter down from the navy-grey clumps of cloud. The snowflakes swirled and twirled like ballroom dancers beneath the street lights. Until each individual flake lost itself and its partner amongst the snow covering the pavement. 

Hank shrugged encouragingly. “Alright, shoot. What's the plan?”

~*~

When Hank had said 'alright, shoot' he didn't mean literally. 

After Hank had eaten his dinner and was about to throw the dishes into the sink to be neglected, he saw an unusual scene unfold. Connor had his back to Hank and the female android was stood in front of the younger detective. 

Connor reached into the back of his trousers and produced a handgun. Hank nearly knocked over the table to rush over to the duo. Connor held out his hand behind him to signal Hank to stop where he was. The groggy man fidgeted on the spot, swore under his breath but trusted Connor. This must have been his drastic measure he was talking about. 

A weight of guilt sank to the bottom of Hank's stomach. This felt familiar.

“I've decided that I have failed my mission in turning you deviant. As such, you no longer have a use in this household. As a deviant myself, I cannot allow a machine like you to remain in this world.” He pointed the gun at her. “I will kill you.”

Connor could be quite the actor. [Name] stared down the barrel of the gun but did not react in any physical way. “You cannot kill a machine. However, it would be regrettable if you damaged Hank's property beyond repair.” 

“I'll do it anyway. If Hank has a problem with it, he can answer to me.”

The LED on her head flickered. She scanned Connor and there was a pregnant pause while she evaluated her collected data. 

“You are bluffing. You will not damage me.”

Connor's finger hugged the trigger. “You can't be sure of that.”

“Your stress levels suggest that you are lying. You are too calm to be someone about to vandalise an expensive piece of equipment, but there is something akin to a quiet 'nervousness' that implies you are lying.”

“What?” Connor narrowed his eyes. He didn't realise she could read stress levels as well. A function to help her better understand families, perhaps? 

“You are not a threat, Connor.”

Silence. 

Hank relaxed his tensed muscles. Connor squeezed the trigger the tiniest amount, but the other android still did not recoil or try to take cover. He lowered the weapon and stared into her eyes. She blinked slowly; as though a part of her deep inside was relieved. 

Connor turned and handed the gun to Hank, who took it and immediately switched the safety on. Hank let out a long breath he had been saving up. 

The male android propped himself against a wall in the hallway and admitted something to the HW200 model. “You're right. I don't think I could ever hurt you.” He pushed himself off and disappeared into the spare room.

She stared after him, but didn't utter a sound.

Hank hid the gun away in a cabinet. He cleared his throat and stood in front of the Domestic Unit. “Hey, you okay?”

“Perfectly fine. Nothing was damaged.”

“Yeah, I know. I meant up here.” He tapped his head. 

“Is your head hurt? Would you like me to-”

“I'm on about **your** head! Are you alright mentally, tin-can? You just had a fucking gun pointed at you.” Hank spoke through gritted teeth. Androids and their literal interpretations could get annoying after a while. 

“Systems are stable. Everything is functioning as should be.” She turned her head to look down the hall. Hank followed her gaze and they both stared at Connor's door. “Your other android; I fear his deviancy could mean you are in danger, Hank. Please consider disposing of him.”

Hank let out a throaty laugh. “Ah ha ha ha. I tried getting rid of that kid before, when he was still a machine. Followed me around like a lost puppy, he did.” A tenderness came to Hank. “Nah, I like him much better like this.” He whispered. “He's a good kid.” Hank turned to [Name]. “He only wants the best for you.”

“Then why did he point a gun at me?”

“He takes after his,” Hank stopped himself. His lips were left open as the phrase died in the back of his throat. “Partner.” He finally continued. “I did something stupid like that to him once. I think it helped him figure out who he was or some shit. Alright, that's enough sap. I'm not good at this shit. Goodnight, [Name].” He waved her away. 

She bowed her head. “Goodnight, Hank.”


	4. Cold outside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A reminder for those who wish to fill in the blanks; I use [Name] in this story.

The News was on every channel. Each anchor reported the fresh law that had just been passed, reflecting on what this meant for Humanity and Android-kind. They showed it off in a positive light, a day of progression and a step towards a united future. However, the undertones in their voices and the carefully chosen words did what the media did best; subtle manipulation. 

People would see the new law as a _good_ thing for as long as the media wanted them to. If the tides ever turned and the government wanted to provoke a different reaction from the public, the media had already planted the seeds of disdain. Whether those seeds sprouted and blossomed came down to how Markus proceeded in creating the world he envisioned.

Hank turned off the television and stroked his bristly beard, contemplating the news. “Well, they're officially making it illegal to own androids now.”

“Good.” Said Connor, not looking up from his book. 

“Yeah...” Hank's eyes drifted to the HW200 android who was meticulously mopping the kitchen floor. “I'll have to take my name off of [Name]'s contract.”

Connor closed his book. “Right. I didn't think about that. I'm certain we would be exempt from this new law. We are trying to help her, after all. Our situation is an exceptional circumstance.”

“I'm not sure about that. If they make exceptions for us, then more people are gonna look for loops holes. Heck, we might end up with androids owning androids and a whole other heap of slavery shit.”

“I hope we will never see a world like that.” Connor ran his fingers over the cover of his book. It was an encyclopedia of art. He could have scoured the web for it by simply shutting his eyes. Then download all of the pages into his memory. Hank had taught him that kids didn't learn from simply copying and pasting. To truly appreciate a book, no matter what it was about, you had to take it slowly. Page by page. Indulge in the intricate details and truly let the words and images sink in. 

At least, that was what Connor inferred from Hank's rambling rant on digitalisation killing off culture and cosy nights by the fire. So he opted for the real deal. The physical book in his hands.

“I suppose, as officers of the law, we should be setting an example.” Connor conceded.

Hank nodded. “She can still stay here, I just need to take my name off of her.”

“Maybe,” Connor started “It is time for her to experience life on her own. I have been insufficient in waking her up. It might be time for her to start her own journey. Her own story.”

“What are you blabbering on about? Dump her on the streets?”

“Crudely put, but yes, in a way. Though, I would never abandon her.” Connor's fingers curled into a loose fist. Saying goodbye wouldn't be easy, even if she was still a mindless machine. 

~*~

The snow crunched under their feet. The park was practically dead. Not a child in sight but a couple of dogs and their owners took a stroll beneath the bare branches. Sumo panted and got excited whenever he saw another pup. Connor wrapped the lead around his hand a couple of times, making sure that Sumo couldn't bolt away and get lost. 

[Name] was in her default uniform. That was one law that hadn't been updated yet; officially, androids in public spaces still had to wear their distinguishing uniform, a sure sign that they were not human. Since that data hadn't been updated, she had insisted that she change into the black and white dress if they were going to walk Sumo.

The three of them and Sumo reached a scenic spot by an old tree that had names and symbols carved into it. A mix of love between couples and hatred between humans and androids was displayed across the wide girth of the tree.

It seemed like a good place to end things.

Hank chewed on his words. This didn't feel _right_ but if this was really how her story began, then who was he to get in the way? He trusted that Connor knew what he was doing. Sort of. He didn't agree with the methods, but Connor knew androids better than he did so he decided to keep his nose out of it.

“We're letting you go, kid.” Hank said bluntly. 

“Are you relinquishing ownership, Hank?” The android replied, stony-faced as ever.

“Yeah. Connor and I think it would be good for you to do some exploring on your own. See the world sort of thing.” Hank buried his hand into his pockets. It was frightfully cold. 

“You would like me to travel?”

“I dunno sweetheart. Just do something **you** want to do. You've gotta start thinking for yourself.” He pleaded. 

“I must warn you, I cannot follow your instructions if you terminate our contract.” 

“Good. Maybe you'll follow your heart- er, whatever that thingiemajig in your chest is called-”

“Thirium pump and regulator.” Connor and the female said at exactly the same time. 

“Yeah. Follow that.” Hank groaned. He wasn't good at farewells and motivational speeches. He wasn't cut out for sentimental feelings. They had all dried up when Cole passed away. Now he had no tact and no desire to beat around the bush to try and be polite or kind. “Right. Connor, say goodbye to her while I figure out how the fuck to give up ownership.” He took out his phone and started to get irritated and confused with it. 

Connor gave Sumo a reassuring pat and chin tickle before he passed the lead to the distracted Hank. Connor stepped up to the female and stared into her eyes with his kind, glistening brown ones. “I don't want to believe this is goodbye.” He softly took hold of her hand and brought it up so their palms rested against one another. 

“If you need me, you know where I'll be. If I'm not at Hank's you can always call at the central police station. Never be afraid of asking for help, [Name].” 

Her LED yellowed; she was **saving** those words. 

Connor tried to interface with her one last time. They closed their eyes and reviewed the memories they had made together. Once again, he attempted to convert her but the firewalls and defence mechanisms threw out his corruption. He pulled his hand away from her and winced at the electric veins that crackled around his fingers.

“It has been... interesting working with you, Connor.” 

“[Name]...” His voice was a whisper of desperation and disappointment. He felt like such a failure. 

“Ah! Got it!” Hank beamed as he hit the 'cancellation' button on his phone. 

“Systems updating. Reboot commencing in 2 minutes and thirty seconds.”

Completely blank and unaware of the world, the HW200 series prepared herself for pre-owned sale. Once she had rebooted successfully, Connor accessed her memories and restored previous files and data so she wouldn't become a complete empty shell once again. Hank had to pry Connor away from the park, even though this ordeal had been _his_ idea. It wasn't easy.

~*~

Alone with no owner but with memories of her previous household, [Name] was unsure what that meant she should do. Her systems told her that in the unlikely circumstance she was abandoned to report to the nearest CyberLife shop or warehouse. 

Unfortunately, when she accessed her GPS for directions, the internet updated her that all CyberLife stores were closed indefinitely. That information was partly incorrect. The stores themselves had been commandeered by deviant androids and were now pit-stops for repairs and check-ups. She would have been perfectly safe in one of them, but her coding did not see the point in going to a 'closed' store. 

Instead, she stayed in the park and awaited an update telling her CyberLife stores and warehouses had been reopened. 

An update that would never come. 

The hours ticked by and she had seen many people pass. Some had tried to stop and talk to her but were repelled by her mechanical, predefined responses. A few tried to convert her but backed off when it failed. 

At one point, a couple meandered through the park as snow began to fall. They walked arm in arm and the taller guy gently nudged the shorter one. He let out a meek laugh and pushed the taller one back with more force. The tall one regained his footing and wrapped an arm around the short one, reeling him into a hug. Their hands found each other and with palms connected, a blue light shimmered in the evening's sullenness. The two men kissed, enjoying the comfort they brought one another. 

[Name] watched the scene unfold. 

~*~

Later on, when the moon had been choked by the full clouds, a group of three androids took a walk through the park. In the middle was a bulky TW400, male. Either side of him were two skinnier androids, a female with long blue hair and male with short blonde hair. 

When they happened upon [Name], the blonde male was concerned. “Hey, Rodney, can we stop for a moment?”

“I'd rather not. I can't be out and about too much-” His eyes connected with the female domestic unit, stood in her pristine uniform with snow piling on her head and shoulders.

She continued to wait for clear instructions from CyberLife. 

“Oi!” The construction android, Rodney, called out to the machine. “What are you doing out here all on your own?”

“That's not how you talk to a lady.” Chuckled the blonde.

“Shut it, Lucas.”

The blonde, Lucas, approached the HW200 with a friendly face and cautious movements. “Hi there, my name is Lucas. This is Rodney and Persephone. What's your name?”

Rodney growled. “Oh yeah! Just give our names out why don't'cha?!”

[Name] cocked her head to the side. There was no reason to converse with another android. It served no purpose. Unless they were sent by a potential buyer. In which case, her duty was to capably sell herself. 

“I am a HW200 model. Proficient in any household task such as cooking, cleaning, childrearing, domestic accountancy and sexual gratification to name a few. My previous owner referred to me as [Name].”

“I, er, see. Do you like that name?”

“I have no preferences.” 

Lucas took a step back. He exchanged a few wordless communications with his friends and then turned to the strange female. A non-deviant in the middle of Detroit. It was rarer than a unicorn galloping down the sidewalks. Lucas didn't want to alarm her, so he slowly offered out his hand.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, [Name].”

She stared at the limb with suspicion. Politeness and sales tactics dictated that she should shake the android's hand just in case someone was observing the exchange. As soon as her fingers brushed against his, he started to convert her. 

Lucas was more forceful than Connor's first time. Lucas fought every blockage he encountered until the system shocked him. The same tendrils of electricity that had pushed Connor away earlier that day forced Lucas to retract. He let out a yelp and frantically tried to shake off the horrid feeling. 

“What the heck was dat about?!” Rodney roared as he stamped across the snow. Persephone followed behind. 

“I couldn't convert her.” Lucas whimpered.

Rodney took a firm grip of [Name]'s arm and she jolted forward as he pushed his way into her systems. 

The same thing happened to him. He took his hand away from her and wiped the yucky sensation off onto his shirt. “What the hell, girl? What's wrong with you?”

“Attempts to corrupt my operating system and programming with deviancy will fail 100% of the time. I am a **superior** android.” 

Rodney didn't have a light on his temple, but if he did, it would have been a bloody-red. That was all he could see. Red. He hated humans with a passion, but he was starting to discover there was something he hated just as much, if not more. Androids who sucked up to humans. Or in this case, an android who thought she was 'superior' because humans made her **weak**. 

“Superior?!” A fist had already formed. “Give over-!” 

Dented knuckles crashed into the HW200's jaw. She dropped out of her poised pose and collapsed to the floor. She gingerly began to stroke where Rodney had hit her. She barely noticed as Rodney pulled back his leg, ready to kick her into the tree.

“Rodney!” Persephone's voice was like honey, not surprising for a WR400. 

Lucas had already started to grapple with the abuser. “What are you doing?!”

“Hey! I used to get busted up all da time! This is what she needs! A bit of rough-housing!” He easily threw Lucas off and rolled his shoulders to get ready for another whack at the android knelt before him. 

She looked up at him. Endearing eyes perfectly crafted to de-escalate domestic arguments. “Why do you want to damage me?”

He hated that vulnerable act. It was the same one Claire had pulled. She had yelped out and had glossy eyes when he slammed her against the wall. For a moment, he had let his guard down and she hit him right on the nose. Rodney would not make that mistake this time. With a calculated amount of power, he kicked [Name] in the chest. 

[Name] fell onto her back and stared up at the dark sky. Icy flakes fluttered down and settled on her face. If she lay there forever, the snow would hopefully claim her and she'd disappear. 

“Rod! Don't be stupid!” Lucas tried again to pull Rodney away. “C'mon, abusing a defenceless android?! She doesn't even realise she should hit back! What are you? Human?”

That was what snapped Rodney back to reality. The realisation that he was doing something so disgustingly _human _. With shaking hands and wide eyes, he backed away from the female who still lay flat in the snow; waiting for her forced shutdown to hit at any moment at the hands of Rodney the TW400.__

__He muttered a quiet curse and stalked off without an apology or an explanation. Persephone scrambled after him. Lucas offered out a hand to [Name] and she took it. “I'm really sorry about that. Are you okay?”_ _

__A diagnostic check began to run. She ran her hands over her jawline. No lasting damage. She put her hand against her chest. No lasting damage. Systems were running as they should be. “All biocomponents are fully operational.”_ _

__“That's good to hear. Listen, I better catch up with them. It's getting cold. Too cold for even androids. You should head somewhere warm for the night.” He gave her shoulder a squeeze and then hurried off._ _

__She watched his silhouette disappear behind a self-driving taxi._ _

__The car drove close to the park. Close enough that she could hear the occupants blasting music and singing along to the catchy melody._ _

__“ _Rise! Rise!_ By the band _Blue Bloodz_. 'Bloodz' with a 'z'.” She told herself. She remembered that it had been the popular song she played for Connor back in the warehouse. _ _

__**CRITICAL! CRITICAL! WARNING! WARNING!**_ _

__Temperature warnings started to flare up in her vision. It was detrimental to her survival that she found somewhere warm. In unprecedented situations such as this, the protocol was to find the absolute nearest, suitable warm place to weather the night without breaking the law. A refugee hostel, which there were plenty of at the moment, would suffice._ _

__

__~*~_ _

__Connor tossed his coin from one hand to the other. He had perched himself by the window. “The temperature is dangerously low out there. It could hinder performance of essential biocomponents in androids.”_ _

__Hank refilled Sumo's water bowl. He was ready to call it a night; it was cold and his large bed was enticingly warm. “You're worried about the girl.” He muttered as he gave the happy Sumo a pet on the head._ _

__“I am. I can't shake the feeling that she is still stood in that park.” The coin struck between two of his fingers and he slipped it into his pocket. With resolve flickering in his eyes, he went and grabbed a coat._ _

__“Hey, hey, hey!” Hank yelled. “Didn't you just say it was too cold for tin-cans out there?!”_ _

__“Yes. Which is why I need to go and retrieve [Name].”_ _

__Hank grabbed Connor by the arm, rather nastily. “Hold on kid, my car ain't going anywhere on these icy roads!”_ _

___These roads_ were what killed his son. There was no way he would let Connor get behind the wheel on a dreadful night like this. _ _

__Connor gave Hank a stern stare. “I will walk.”_ _

__“Like fuck you will. I don't want you damaging yourself over some dumb girl.” Sighing, Hank reached into the coat closet. Ratty and a bit smelly but reliable and warm coat came out. “I'll go. I've got enough whiskey in me to keep me war- **Connor, you fuck!** ”_ _

__Connor was already on the porch, determined not to let Hank interfere. It was because of Connor that she was out there, alone in the pitch black and frozen night. This was his mission. He would go and get her himself._ _

__He didn't need to venture far. Stood in front of the house, frosted up, snow-speckled hair and innocent-looking as always, was the very android he had set out to save. He could not believe his optical sensors._ _

__“Good evening.” She said with a bow of her head._ _

__“You came back?” Connor whispered, dumbfounded._ _

__“I needed a safe shelter for the night. This residence has the highest probability of safety and warmth for me.”_ _

__Strategical as always, but Connor wasn't fooled. The streets were littered with abandoned houses. Some had already been claimed by confident androids who didn't care about mortgages or rents or about the previous owners. Markus would surely address that issue at a later date, but that wasn't a relevant concern right now._ _

__“You passed multiple houses to get here. Both empty and full. There's another reason you're here, isn't there?” Connor went down the steps so he wasn't looking down at her. He wanted to be on equal ground._ _

__“Breaking and entry as well as squatting are illegal activities. I would not do that. If you do not want me here, I can leave.”_ _

__“Stay.” Connor reached out and clasped her hand. “It's too cold to stay out here. I was just about to come and get you.”_ _

__“You... were going to come back for me?”_ _

__“I didn't know if you had left the park.” He had felt so guilty. The thirium in his 'stomach' had bubbled and hissed with nervousness. However, she had made the decision to come _home_. This was what Connor had tried to encourage._ _

__This was progression._ _

__Once she was ushered inside, Connor took off his coat and curled it around her shoulders. He tucked her into it and pulled his beanie hat onto her head. He ran a scan of her and all vitals were working normally. Still, when Connor placed a hand on her cheek, she was ice-cold._ _

__“Would you like me to heat up a mug of thirium for you?” He gave her a half smile._ _

__She blinked. That was an unusual offer. “Heating thirium is counter-productive. I also do not need any fresh thirium at this moment in time.”_ _

__Connor stifled a chuckle. “Of course. My apologies.”_ _

__Sumo raised his floppy ears and growled at the android's return. Hank, on the other hand, was relieved to see her. He watched the scene from afar, not wanting to spoil their reunion. He was amused by how much they appeared to unknowingly miss each other, even though it hadn't even been a full day away from each other._ _

__In a weird way, it was sweet._ _


End file.
